Mr. Dinan also initiated a stake in Kraft Foods Group Inc (NASDAQ:KRFT), which contains nearly 6.0 million shares worth $522.28 million. In addition, York also owns ‘Call’ options equal to 1.08 million shares of Kraft with a value of $94.15 million. The move comes amid the announcement that Kraft will be acquired by H.J. Heinz. After the merger of both companies, Kraft shareholders will receive 49% of the stock in the new company and a cash dividend of $16.50 per share. The announcement sent Kraft Foods Group Inc (NASDAQ:KRFT)’s stock higher and attracted a large number of investors. As our data show, the number of funds with long positions in the company jumped to 70 from 36 during the first three months, while the aggregate value of capital held by the funds from our database surged to $3.28 billion from only $743.82 million a quarter earlier. In fact, most of the largest shareholders of Kraft Foods Group Inc (NASDAQ:KRFT) among the funds we track, disclosed new positions in the latest round of 13F filings. Peter Adam Hochfelder’s Brahman Capital, David Greenspan’s Slate Path Capital and John Smith Clark’s Southpoint Capital Advisors are the next three shareholders after York, holding 3.09 million shares, 2.45 million shares and 1.90 million shares respectively.
Next in line is Actavis plc (NYSE:ACT) with York disclosing a $454.53 million stake that contains 1.53 million shares. During the first quarter, the stock of the pharmaceutical company jumped by more than 15%, while Dinan raised his stake by 12%. Actavis ranked as the most popular stock among the funds we track with 157 investors holding in aggregate $21.97 billion worth of stock. The increase of Actavis plc (NYSE:ACT)’s popularity among investors comes as the company completed the acquisition of Allergan and set on a path of strengthening its position as one of the leaders in the pharmaceutical industry with a portfolio that contains thousands of original and generic drugs. Analysts also see more potential in the stock with a number of outfits raised their price targets on the stock, the consensus standing currently at above $343 per share. Aside from York Capital, Andreas Halvorsen‘s Viking Global and Chuck Royce’s Royce & Associates disclosed holding 6.11 million shares and 5.64 million shares of Actavis plc (NYSE:ACT), respectively, raising their stakes by 34% and 260% during the first quarter.
Finally, there is NXP Semiconductors NV (NASDAQ:NXPI), in which York owns 4.31 million shares valued at $432.53 million. The stock of the $25 billion Dutch semiconductor company has gained more than 38% since the beginning of 2015. One of the primary reasons for this growth is the company’s chip that work with near field communications, a primary technology used in mobile payments. With iPhone demand growing better that anticipated, investors are also piling into NXP Semiconductors NV (NASDAQ:NXPI), expecting stronger financial results. York is also one of the top shareholders of NXP Semiconductors NV (NASDAQ:NXPI) among the funds we track, trailing Viking Global with 4.40 million shares and preceding Donald Chiboucis‘ Columbus Circle Investors, which owns 2.44 million shares.
Disclosure: none
